‘All new to everyone’: Parents recall navigating COVID school shutdown five years ago
Five years ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close, parents and guardians found themselves at home with their children balancing education and recreation.
Challenging as it was, some parents now recall the those months wistfully.
Jessica Giurato, then of Buffalo Grove, is one of them. Stress and uncertainty aside, she looks back fondly on those days.
“It was the most time I had spent with my kids since before they went to Kindergarten,” she said. “I miss that time.”
But the then-single mom faced an additional challenge. On Valentine's Day 2020, about a month before the pandemic shut down most schools, Giurato slipped and broke her leg as she exited the shower.
After eight days in the hospital, she returned home with three plates and 21 screws in her leg and a walker to keep her somewhat mobile. Fortunately, her now-husband and parents were there to help.
A month later, when the pandemic forced lockdowns and schools transitioned to remote learning, her children stepped up to care for their mom while also attending classes.
Her oldest son, then a high school senior preparing to graduate with honors, adapted easily. Her middle child Casey, then 14, and 12-year-old daughter required more motivation, but Giurato says they all navigated e-learning successfully.
“This was all new to everyone, but teachers put in the brunt of the work,” she said.
Some went above and beyond, she said. Her middle child's freshman biology teacher dropped encouraging notes in students' mailboxes. When Casey mentioned feeling lonely, the teacher brought her dogs to their home so he could take them on walks.
The family spent time talking, watching TV and playing with their cats. When summer arrived, they transformed the backyard into a modified water park with a sprinkler and baby pools.
Some work, some play
Four of Michael Kelland's five children — sons ages 10 and 14, and daughters ages 5 and 9 — were living at the family's home when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
With his phlebotomist wife working, supervising their kids' remote learning fell to work-from-home dad Kelland.
The children adjusted well, thrived even, said the Schaumburg resident.
“They did well under the circumstances,” he said.
With the older kids “off in their little worlds,” attending class online in their rooms, Kelland shared his living room workspace with the youngest.
Claiming he was too loud, “she'd get upset when I was in a meeting,” he said. “She had very little patience for me.”
The family played sports and did physical education activities in the backyard, where they also tended the family garden.
“What sticks with me is picking raspberries in the backyard, me and my daughter,” he said fondly.
“I was impressed with how well they did at home,” added Kelland, whose family lost loved ones to the pandemic. “It was nice having them all here … plus you knew they were safe.
“I miss having them there.”
Fun times
For Hoffman Estates resident Kassi Warner and her husband, not much changed when the public schools shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warner, who works part-time, evenings and weekends, was home for her 1-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, who was in kindergarten at the time.
Warner prepared for remote learning by purchasing workbooks to supplement her daughter's class assignments.
“We didn't use them as much as I thought we would,” said Warner. She was pleasantly surprised by how well her daughter’s school handled e-learning, which included Zoom gym classes in which her toddler attempted to participate.
Like Giurato, Warner and her husband created a backyard oasis that included sprinklers, a splash pad and a swing set. They also held family dance parties in the living room and did a lot of baking, Warner recalled.
That spring, they had a driveway visit from the Easter Bunny, courtesy of the Hoffman Estates Park District.
Now a mother of four, Warner recalls those days wistfully.
“We had a lot of fun that summer,” she said.